Johnny Ball
'Johnny Ball '(born May 23, 1938) is an English television personality, a populariser of mathematics and the father of BBC Radio 2 DJ Zoe Ball. Early Life He was born as Graham Bell in Bristol where he attended Kingswood Primary School on the eastern edge of the city. Later in his childhood the family moved to Bolton, Lancashire, where he attended Bolton County Grammar School. He left formal education with two 'O' Levels, one in Mathematics and one in Geography. He then signed on for three years in the Royal Air Force, worked as a Butlin's Redcoat, and was an entertainer in northern clubs and cabaret. Television and Radio Career He was a regular fixture on children's television in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, presenting several series of popular science and technology programmes intended for children (including Think of a Number; Think Again; Think Backwards; Think...This Way and Johnny Ball Reveals All). He was also one of the hosts of infant education programme Play School beginning in 1967 and continuing throughout the 1970s and beyond. As well as appearing on screen Ball wrote jokes for some shows including Crackerjack. All of these shows (except the ITV programme ...Reveals All) appeared on the BBC. Ball's shows were renowned for presenting scientific and technological principles in an entertaining and accessible way for young people. In 2003, he appeared on The Terry and Gaby Show in which he answered viewers' questions. In July 2004, he was named in the Radio Times list of the top 40 most eccentric TV presenters of all time. In July 2012, he presented a Horizon special on ageing on BBC Four. He has recently starred in ITV and Channel 4 television adverts as well as radio adverts for the Yorkshire-based film Help-Link. Ball's daughter Zoe presents Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two for BBC TV and presents a Saturday afternoon show on BBC Radio 2. Son Nick's first film (director) won a World Award and second script (co-writer) was filmed in California. Second oldest son Dan is a design/structural engineer in Henley. Johnny lists as his hobbies writing, research, gazebo building, drums, golf and his six grandchildren. He currently lives with wife Di at their home in South Buckinghamshire. In 2012, the 74-year-old Ball was announced as one of the 14 celebrities who would take part in the Strictly Come Dancing TV show. He was the first celebrity to eb eliminated from the competition. Series Guide Think of a Number *Pilot: April 2, 1977 *Series 1: 6 editions - April 12, 1978 - May 17, 1978 *Series 2: 6 editions - September 12, 1979 - October 17, 1979 *Series 3: 6 editions - September 10, 1980 - October 15, 1980 *Series 4: 6 editions - September 15, 1982 - October 20, 1982 *Series 5: 6 editions - January 4, 1984 - February 8, 1984 *Series 6: 6 editions - September 26, 1984 - October 31, 1984 Think Again *Series 1: 5 editions - January 9, 1981 - April 22, 1981 *Series 2: 6 editions - January 8, 1982 - February 12, 1982 *Series 3: 6 editions - January 7, 1983 - February 11, 1983 *Series 4: 6 editions - September 13, 1983 - October 18, 1983 *Series 5: 6 editions - September 10, 1985 - October 15, 1985 Think! Backwards *Five editions shown over one week - September 28, 1981 - October 2, 1981 Think! This Way *Five editions shown over one week - March 28, 1983 - April 1, 1983 Think It ... Do It *Series 1: 6 editions - March 11, 1986 - April 15, 1986 *Series 2: 6 editions - February 27, 1987 - April 3, 1987 Knowhow *Series 1: 6 editions - March 8, 1988 - April 12, 1988 *Series 2: 6 editions - October 25, 1988 - November19, 1988 *Series 3: 6 editions - January 2, 1990 - February 6, 1990 (does not feature in Series 3) Johnny Ball Reveals All *Series 1: 7 editions - June 14, 1989 - July 16, 1989 *Series 2: 6 editions - August 3, 1990 - September 7, 1990 *Series 3: 7 editions - March 18, 1992 - April 29, 1992 *Series 4: 7 editions - July 5, 1993 - August 16, 1993 *Series 5: 5 editions - August 8, 1994 - September 1, 1994 Other Activities Ball is in favour of nuclear power and has given speeches arguing for its development and has rejected the notion of man-made climate change, arguing that carbon dioxide has been unfairly victimised in the debate. On December 15, 2009, Ball was booed off stage at a show "in celebration of... science" in London for climate change denial comments. In November 2006, Ball voiced his opposition to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act, which would require any adult working with children to be vetted by the Criminal Records Bureau. In an interview with The Sunday Times, he said: "It is like George Owell's 1984... a quarter of adults will have to be checked... The fear we are instilling in children is abhorrent." Ball served as Rector of the University of Glasgow from 1993-1996. Ball is a declared supporter of the FatallyFlawed campaign against the use of plug-in socket covers. In April 2014, Ball donated his time and talent as voice-over in an educational animated video for the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a Cambridge-based UK charity whose aim is to get children interested in taking up a career in computer programming. Bibliography *Ball, Johnny (2005). Think of a number. Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 1-4053-1031-6. *Ball, Johnny (2005). Go Figure!. Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 0-7566-1374-4. (American edition of "Think of a Number") *Ball, Johnny (1982). Johnny Ball's Think Box. Puffin. ISBN 0-14-031545-4. *Ball, Johnny (1987). Johnny Ball's Second Thinks. Puffin. ISBN 0-14-031819-4. *Ball, Johnny (1983). Plays for Laughs. Puffin. ISBN 0-14-031548-9. *Ball, Johnny (1979). Think of a number. BBC. ISBN 0-563-17755-1. (different from the 2005 book of the same name) *Ball, Johnny (2011). Ball of Confusion. Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-1-84831-348-4. *Ball, Johnny (2009). Mathmagicians. Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 1-4053-3727-3. Category:Series 10 Category:13th Place Category:Television Presenters